Passive voice in different tenses. Passive voice

To show that an action is carried out on an object/person, in English we use passive voice.

Look at the examples: “English is spoken in many countries. These machines are manufactured in Germany. This house is for sale."

In such sentences, the emphasis is not on who performs the action, but on what action is performed on the person/object. This is the passive (or passive) voice.

In this article we will look at the schemes for constructing the passive voice in the present tense in English -. We will look in detail at how to construct affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences.

In the article you will learn:

• Formation of the Passive Voice in Present Simple Time

What is passive (passive) voice in English

First, let's figure out what collateral is and why it is needed.

In English, voice shows who performs the action:

• the person/object performs the action itself;
• a person/object experiences the action of another object.

In accordance with this, in English there are two types of collateral

• Active voice(Active voice) - the actor himself performs actions.

For example

• Passive voice(Passive voice) - the actor experiences the action of another person.

For example

The vase is broken. (The vase broke, but it didn’t break itself, but someone did it).

She is awakened by noise on the street. (She didn’t wake up on her own, but something woke her up.)

When do we use the passive voice?

Rules for using the passive voice in English

The most important thing to remember is that the passive voice is used when we talk about an action that is performed on a person/object.

The following cases of its use can be distinguished:

1. If we do not know who performed the action
For example: “Her wallet was stolen” (we don’t know who did it).

2. What matters to us is the action itself, not the person who performed it.
For example: “The watch is made in Switzerland” (it doesn’t matter to us who exactly made it).

3. If something unpleasant happened, but we don’t want to blame someone for it
For example: “The holiday is ruined” (we don’t want to say who exactly did it).

Now let's look at how to construct sentences in the passive voice in the simple present tense.

Present Simple Passive Voice in English

In the Present Simple we use the passive voice when we talk about an ordinary, regular, constant action, which is carried out on a person/object.

For example

Cheese is made from milk.
Mail is delivered every day.

Rules for constructing the passive voice in the Present Simple

The passive voice in the Present Simple is formed using:

• verb to be in the present tense (am, are, is);
• verb in the past tense.

There are regular and irregular verbs in English. Depending on the verb we:

• add the ending -ed if the verb is regular;
• we put it in the 3rd form if the verb is irregular.

The scheme for constructing the passive voice in the Present Simple will be as follows.

Object/person + am/are/is + 3rd form of irregular verb or regular verb ending -ed.

Examples

The bread is baked every morning.
This bread is baked every morning.

Paper is made from wood.
Paper is made from wood.

These rooms are cleaned every day.
These rooms are cleaned every day.

Using by in the passive voice

If we want to indicate who did the action, we add preposition by. We put it at the end of the sentence, and after it comes the actor who performs the action itself.

The proposal outline will be as follows.

Object/person + am/are/is + 3rd form of irregular verb or regular verb ending -ed + by + the one who performs the action.

Let's look at examples.

Our dinner is cooked by mom.
Mom cooks our dinner.

These jewels are made by Kate.
Kate makes these jewelry.

Using with in the passive voice

If we are talking about a tool with which an action is performed, we use preposition with. We put it at the end of the sentence, and after it comes the instrument.

A diagram of such a proposal.

Object/person + am/are/is + 3rd form of an irregular verb or regular verb ending -ed + with + a tool used to perform an action.

Examples

Bread is cut with a knife.
Bread is cut with a knife.

The pictures are drawn with a pencil.
These pictures are drawn with a pencil.

Negative Present Simple sentences in the passive voice

We can make the offer negative. To do this you need to put not after the verb to be.

Scheme of a negative sentence in Present Simple Voice

Object/person + am/are/is + not + 3rd form of irregular verb or regular verb ending -ed.

Example sentences

The flowers are not watered
Flowers are not watered.

This car is not washed.
This car is not washed.

I am not invited.
I'm not invited.

Present Simple Interrogative Sentences in Passive Voice

To ask a question, we need to put the verb to be first in the sentence. The proposal outline will be as follows.

Am/are/is + object/person + 3rd form of irregular verb or regular verb ending -ed?

Examples

Is the house sold?
Is this house for sale?

Are the dogs walked by Tom?
Does Tom walk the dogs?

Now let's put the theory into practice. To do this, do an exercise on using the passive voice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

1. These songs are listened to often.
2. She is not given gifts every day.
3. The phone is for sale.
4. Is the exam written with a pen?
5. Are these products made in China?
6. He is punished by his parents.

There is an active and passive voice - Active Voice and Passive Voice, respectively. In the first option, you perform an action or someone else performs it, that is, an active action. For example: Masha goes to school - Masha goes to school. Petya drives a car - Petya drives a car.
-
In the passive voice it would be different - Masha is taken to school. That is, an action is performed on a subject or inanimate object. I was invited - I was invited - that is, I did not invite, but I was invited.

How is Passive Voice formed?

Let's see how the Passive voice is formed according to the scheme: Creatures. + Be (am, is, are) + V3. That is, the verb to be and the third form of the verb are placed.

Examples

Affirmative sentences

-
I'm invited- action above animate object and Present Simple time. In English it would be like this: I am invited.
You are invited— You are invited.
She's invited— She is invited.
He is invited— He is invited.
Important to remember that in Passive Voice only the third form is always used - V3. Or the ending –ed is added to the verb if it falls into the category of regular ones. For convenience, we have a table of irregular verbs - Irregular Verbs, which you can view here:. The third form, V3, is located in the Participle II column.
Also important that in the passive voice the pronouns do not change. For example, her invite - she is invited. That is, here it is not HER, but SHE.

Interrogative sentences

To ask a question in the passive voice, you need to use the following formula:
To be + Creatures. + V3 ?
Are the houses built every year? – Are houses built every year?
Are you invited everywhere? Are you invited everywhere?

Negative sentences

Creatures + Be + not + V3
German is (to be) not spoken (V3) everywhere. German is not spoken everywhere.

It is important to know that Future Perfect Continuous Passive, Present Perfect Continuous Passive and Past Perfect Continuous Passive do not exist - Perfect forms are used instead. And instead of Future Continuous Passive, Future Simple is used.
Table of tenses in Passive Voice
For convenience, we suggest you look at the table using tenses in the passive voice.

Lots of examples to reinforce:

Present Simple Passive

He is called every day. They call him every day.
Homework is done. Homework done
Tickets are bought. Tickets are being reserved.

Present Progressive Passive: to be (is, are, am) + Ving + V3

A new big house is being built now. A new large house is currently under construction.
I am being given a glass of milk now. Now they give me a glass of milk.

Present Perfect Passive: Have/has + been + V3

This work has just been started - The work has just begun
I have just been invited - I have just been invited

Past Simple Passive: Was/were + V3

The book was written by Alisa. – The book was written by Alice.
These apples were bought by Julia. These apples were bought by Julia.

Past Continuous Passive: Was/were + being + V3

I was being asked a question when you came home - I was asked a question just
when you came home.
The car was being washed when I arrived. The car was washed just when I arrived.

Past Perfect Passive: Had + been + V3

When we came home breakfast had been cooked already. When we got home, tomorrow was already ready.
Had the song been sung by the time she returned? Was the song written by the time she arrived?

Future Passive: Will + have/has + V3

They will be met by me. They will be met by me.
I will be thinking. I'll be surprised.

Future Perfect Passive:

By the time we return the shop will have been opened yet. - By the time we arrive, the store will already be open.
Will everything have been prepared by 7 p.m.? – Will everything be ready by 7 pm?

"" is used to express an obligation coming from the speaker. Those. when the speaker says that he understands what he needs to do.

“ ” is an indispensable modal verb used in situations where we are talking about present or future obligations that cannot be violated.

“” is a well-known and frequently used verb that means “to be able to”, “to be able to”.

“ ” is a synonym for the verb “should”, its more polite version.

« Be supposed to" is a modal verb whose function is to tell what people need to do in accordance with the rules. Moreover, it is used when we talk about what is expected to happen.

Passive voice formula

What is the above mentioned: (to) be + V3? The answer is simple. When we change a sentence from "active" to "passive", we must change the predicate of the sentence. First, you need to put the verb " to be" at the time used in the main sentence. Secondly, put the main verb in the third form (Past Participle).

So, to compose a sentence with a modal verb, we need to put the verb “ be" in combination with a modal verb. It will look like this:

Must be(it should be)

Have to be(it should be)

Ought to be(should be)

Can be(May be)

Should be(should be)

Be supposed to be(it is believed that; it is assumed that;)

The second stage is the same placement of the main verb into the third form.

A little practice

The secretary must write a letter. / Secretary must write letter.

The letter must be written by the secretary. / Letter must be written secretary.

He has to do this test. / He must perform this test.

This test has to be done by him. / This test must be completed them.

He was supposed to send an email an hour ago. /It was assumed, What He will send letter hour back.

The email was supposed to be sent by him an hour ago. / It was assumed, What electronic letter will sent hour back.

Try to change the sentences given in the article yourself from active voice ( Active Voice) to passive voice ( Passive Voice). This will allow you to remember the rule, as well as work out its transformation scheme in practice step by step.

Greetings, my dear readers.

Isn’t it true that the “passive voice” sounds scary? Questions immediately arise: what has he done that he is “suffering” so much? In reality, behind the proud name there is simply hidden the grammatical phenomenon “passive”.

Okay, so be it, so that you understand the topic better and don’t get confused in all these names - we’ll give it a separate lesson called the passive voice in English, or “passive” in common parlance. Today we are waiting for the rules with examples and education of this time. And then you can consolidate the theory and.

What it is

Let's immediately understand what the “passive voice” is with examples.

I cooked the dinner.- I prepared dinner.

From this sentence it becomes clear that the action is performed by a certain person, that is, me. It turns out that this is the active voice, or all those sentences and that we usually use.

The passive voice in our case will look like this:

The dinner was cooked.- Dinner has been prepared.

Please note that now in the first place we have the very fact that dinner has been prepared. That is, there is no need to mention who did it.

This is the phenomenon when you completely no need to specify who is doing the action, or you need to put the action itself first, and the passive is used.

How to translate

Of course, many people immediately have a question: how to translate such sentences. And my answer to you is the same as usual, we just don’t indicate the character.

The walls were painted yesterday.- Yesterday we painted the walls.

New sports center will be opened next month.- A new sports center will open next month.

The dinner hadn’t been made by the time I got home.- By the time I arrived home, dinner was not ready yet.

How is it formed

• In short, the structure of the passive voice is as follows:

Subject + auxiliary verb (to be) + verb in the third form (V3) + object.

Depending on the tense in which the sentence is constructed, the verb “to be” will change its form. Below in the table you will see how this is done.

The car was broken in an accident.- The car crashed in an accident.

The meeting is being held in room 13.- The meeting is taking place in room 13.

The car has been repaired.- The car was repaired.

• A particle is added to the structure of a negative sentence not to the auxiliary verb.

Subject + auxiliary verb (to be) + not + verb in the third form (V3) + object.

The room wasn’t (was not) cleaned.- The room was not cleaned.

The house wasn’t (was not) decorated yet. - The house hasn't been decorated yet.

The thieves weren’t (were not) caught yet.- The thieves have not been caught yet.

• In interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb and the subject change places.

Auxiliary verb (to be) + subject + verb in the third form (V3) + object?

Was the television repaired?- Was the TV fixed?

Was the report written?- Have you written a report?

Have the photos been printed?- Were the photographs printed?

You may have noticed that even the passive voice must be used correctly, so I have a table for you that will help you remember and quickly navigate the use of tenses (click on the picture to enlarge).

I think you noticed that there is no Future Continuous form for the passive. If there is still a need to express duration in the future, then the usual Future Simple will be used.

The same applies to complex tenses: Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous and Future Perfect Continuous. There are no passive constructions in them! Use Perfect tenses instead!

Rules of use and examples

The use of the passive can be characterized by the following rules:

• When the person performing the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.

Mr. Samson's jewelry was stolen last night.- Mrs. Samson's jewelry was stolen yesterday.

Feel the difference:

The thieves stole Mr. Samson's jewelry last night.- Thieves stole Mrs. Samson's jewelry last night.

In the passive, it is already obvious to us who did it, and there is no need to say obvious things. Let's look at another example.

The brakes of the car were tested.- The car's brakes were checked.

Compare:

The mechanic tested the brakes of the car.- The mechanic checked the car's brakes.

After all, it was already obvious that the car’s brakes were being checked by a mechanic. That is why the passive looks much more relevant here.

Mercedes cars are made in Germany. - Mercedes cars are produced in Germany.

Mercedes Benz make their cars in Germany.- The Mercedes Benz company produces its cars in Germany.

A completely similar situation when naming the character makes no sense.

If you like to learn English in a fun and effective way, then register with Lingualeo — there is a lot of interesting and free material (simulators, dictionaries, lessons). By the way, you can also take paid specialized courses there for different needs. For example, course « Irregular Verbs» will help you quickly and spontaneously remember the forms of basic and frequently used irregular verbs in the English language and learn about some of the features of their use.

• When the action itself is more important than the person performing it.

Two families were seriously injured in a car accident last night.-Last night, two families were seriously injured in a car accident.

Besides, the passive voice is very often used in formal English, but the active voice is in both versions.

If you want to learn more about the grammatical aspects of the English language in theory and practice, go to mine - there you will find the basic rules and practical part for each of them.

This, my dears, is where we will finish our lesson. You can find even more information in the video tutorial. But still remember that the best tactic for memorizing new topics is lots and lots of practice. Therefore, we have ahead of you, as well as even more materials and useful things.

Until next time, my loves;)

Let's start with the active voice because it's simpler. The subject (subject) itself produces the action. A simple example: “Steve loves Amy.” Steve is the subject, and he performs the action: he loves Amy, who in this sentence is the object.

Another example is the title of Marvin Gaye's song "I Heard It through the Grapevine". “I” is the subject who performs the action, that is, hears “it”, the object of the action.

Passive voice

In passive voice. Instead of "Steve loves Amy", we can say "Amy is loved by Steve". Amy becomes the subject of the sentence, but she does not perform the action. She is Steve's crush. Thus the focus shifts from Steve to Amy.

If we put the title of the above-mentioned song in the passive, we would say “It was heard by me through the grapevine,” which would immediately lose expressiveness.

Is the verb "to be" a passive voice?

Many people think that any sentence containing , is in the passive voice, but this is not true. For example, the sentence “I am holding a pen” is in the active voice, even though it uses the verb “am,” which is a form of “to be.” The passive form of this sentence would be: "The pen is being held by me."

Notice that the subject (“pen”) does not perform any action, it is passive. This is a sign that the sentence is in the passive voice - the subject does not perform a direct action.

Is it always bad to use passive voice?

There is one important point - sentences in the passive voice are not always incorrect. It's just often not the best way to express your thoughts. Sometimes the passive voice looks awkward, sometimes it looks too vague. Also, passive is usually the case, so if you replace passive sentences with active ones, you will make the text more concise.

When a sentence is in the passive voice, most often it is possible not to indicate the person or thing performing the action. For example, “Amy is loved.” The problem is that in this case we don't know who loves Amy.

Politicians often use the passive deliberately to avoid specifying who is doing the action. Ronald Reagan's famous words regarding the Iran-Contra scandal: “Mistakes were made.”

Other examples of using the passive voice for political reasons: “Bombs were dropped” or “Shots were fired.” Listen to the news in English and pay attention to the use of passive voice.

Another reader named Matthew adds that... He notes that it is much better to write “Your electricity will be shut off” than “We, the electric company, will be shutting off your power.”

Is it true that passive voice is more difficult to understand?

According to a recent study, less educated people—those without college degrees—have a harder time understanding sentences written in the passive voice than in the active voice. Therefore, when you are writing for a general audience, it is better to stick to the active voice.

Is it okay to use passive voice in crime reports?

On the other hand, passive voice has its advantages. For example, if you really don't know who did the action, then you can't name that person. This is especially true for crime reports. For example, a security guard might write “The museum was robbed” because no one knows who the burglar was.

Is passive voice necessary in fiction?

Sometimes the passive voice is used in fiction. For example, if you are writing a detective story and want to focus the reader's attention on the stolen cookies, it is best to use the passive voice. It is much better to write “The cookies were stolen” than “Somebody stole the cookies.”

The difference is not that big, but in the sentence “The cookies were stolen” the emphasis is on the cookies. In the sentence “Somebody stole the cookies,” the emphasis will be on the faceless “someone.”

The passive voice can be useful when you want to create an atmosphere of mystery. But this is precisely why it should not be used when you are writing non-fiction text and want everything to be clear and understandable.

To give the text objectivity and separate the results of experiments from personal opinion.

Some reference books on scientific style allow limited use of the active voice. For example, you can write “We sequenced the DNA” instead of “The DNA was sequenced,” but it is still considered undesirable for scientists to write conclusions on their own behalf.

For example, “We believe the mutation causes cancer” looks unscientific. But here you can do without the passive voice. For example, you can write “The data suggests that the mutation causes cancer.” The voice remains active, but the sense of subjectivity disappears.

Is it true that Strunk and White's handbook gets the passive voice wrong?

Finally, I would like to mention how Strunk and White describe the passive voice in their classic reference book, The Elements of Style. Three of the four examples of passive voice they gave are not actually passive.

In general, try to avoid passive voice except in situations where it is absolutely necessary. Of course, he expresses the meaning of what was said too vaguely, but in fiction, and especially scientific literature, the passive voice can be very useful to you.

Did you know that passive voice is widely used in crime reports?